These Photos Show Why You're Eating Healthy Foods but Still Not Losing Weight

If you’re trying to lose weight, then you’ve probably stocked up on some healthy snacks: all-natural peanut butter, almonds, olives, and dried fruit. After all, it’s better to snack on something wholesome and all-natural than something processed, right? Sure — but even whole foods can be calorie-dense, so eating them in excess could still hinder your weight-loss goals.

As Amanda Meixner (@meowmeix on Instagram) showed in her post, eating healthy, all-natural snacks while trying to lose weight all comes down to serving sizes. She showed images of goji berries, peanut butter, olives, and almonds along with a calorie breakdown: 1/3 cup of goji berries is 150 calories versus 2/3 cup, which is 300 calories. One tablespoon of peanut butter is just 90 calories, while two tablespoons is 180. Six olives are 70 calories, and 12 olives are 140 calories. If you eat 1/4 cup of almonds that’s 205 calories, but 1/2 cup is 410 calories.

The photos show that doubling the serving sizes may not look like a lot, but it can really add up calorie-wise. “While eating healthy is step 1 to feeling your best, sometimes you can still fall into the trap of not hitting your goal weight,” Amanda wrote in her caption. “Healthy foods high in calories can definitely do that. Foods like nuts, nut butter, olive oil, goji berries, complex carbs can pack on calories really quick.”

If you can stick to a single serving size, then these types of calorie-dense foods are fine in moderation and can still help you lose weight. Just be sure to break out your measuring cups and spoons to ensure you don’t go overboard.